The reveal of the final Hennessy X.O. Exclusive Collection in Singapore last month marked several milestones in the company’s history. Not only does it commemorate Hennessy’s 250th anniversary, but it also marks a turning point in the company’s fortunes, which had seen a decline since China implemented anti-austerity measures in 2012. The mood at the launch, held at Szechuan restaurant Shisen Hanten at the Mandarin Orchard, was (to use a forced pun) decidedly spirited. Ian McLernon, Director & General Manager of Moët Hennessy Diageo Singapore was all smiles as he reported on the health of the company. “We’ve had an exceptional 2015, and to be very honest with you quite often we’re running out of stock. With these very old eau-de-vies, we can’t produce any more.”
Hennessy is not the oldest cognac brand in the world (that honour goes to Martell), but it is the biggest. The cognac house was established in 1765 by Richard Hennessy, an Irishman who brought his know-how of distillation and applied it to grapes. The company lays claim to the creation of the X.O. (Extra Old) category by Maurice Hennessy in 1870. As with all cognacs, age imbues the spirit with additional nuances and complex flavours due to prolonged contact with oak in barrels. The barrels are sourced from trees grown in Limousin region and are between 100-150 years old. The minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie in the X.O. category is 10 years.
It is an impressive feat to ensure such consistency in cognac despite the vagaries in vintage conditions. This is testament to the skill of the master blenders as well as the well-diversified stocks that Hennessy holds. The company works with around 1700 growers in four of the six Cognac sub-regions – Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, and Fins Bois. Depending on who you ask, the word Champagne here is either derived from the Latin word campania, meaning open field or the French word crayeux, meaning chalky soils. Either way, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne have no link to sparkling wine. They are also the two sub-regions that produce the finest cognacs, requiring extended aging and so are exclusively used for Hennessy’s X.O. category.
For the Hennessy X.O. Exclusive Collection, British designer Tom Dixon reimagined the classic X.O. carafe by crafting a repeated polygonal pattern representing the many facets of the eau-de-vie that go into each bottle. This tessellated bottle, released sequentially in copper, silver and gold editions, stays true to the ethos of the groundbreaking designer, who delights in working with different metals and is known for iconic pieces such as the S-Chair and Mirror Ball. It is a fitting robe for a cognac of this quality, which shows rich and mellow flavours of woody spice, raisin, toffee and vanilla. Ian states that there are three pillars to the Hennessy strategy in Singapore – targeting the luxury market, building brands and connecting with consumers. “What I’m trying to do is to make sure that Singapore gets the right allocation of the right products… one of my predictions for this year is that X.O. will be one of our star products.”
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